Latch for holding doors open



April 21, 1953 R. J. OLANDER 2,635,909

LATCH FOR HOLDING DOORS OPEN Filed Dec. 29, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 JZoZamd I Olanfler.

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April 21, 1953 Filed Dec. 29, 1949 F/z/ 77 F/77/// R. J. OLANDER LATCH FOR HOLDING DOORS OPEN 2 SI-IEET SSI-IEET 2 ZWVQ mi m". Raviam a I6 Zwm Patented Apr. 21, 1953 LATCH FOR HOLDING DOORS OPEN Roland J. Olander, Chicago, 111., assignor to W. H.

Miner, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application December 29, 1949, Serial No. 135,698

2 Claims. (01. 292-246) This invention relates to improvements in door latches.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient latch for swinging doors for holding said doors in open position.

Another object of the invention is to provide latch means of the character indicated, especially adapted for hinged doors of refrigerator cars, the latch means being especially designed to be easily operated to release the same when the edge of the door is grasped to swing the same away from the car wall toward closing position.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, of a refrigerator car body, having a pair of hinged doors, illustrating my improvements in connection therewith. Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, through a portion of the car side wall and a portion of the right hand door shown in Figure 1, with the door swung to fully open position, with the locking bar omitted. Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view, partly broken away, corresponding substantially to the line 33 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is an enlarged, elevational view of the pivoted latch element shown at the right hand side of Figure 1 and illustrated in plan in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a top plan view of a modified form of pivoted latch element and hook. Figure 6 is a side elevational view of Figure 5, looking from right to left in said figure, with the hook omitted.

In said drawings, the side wall of the car is indicated by iii, the same having the usual side door opening l I, closed by a pair of hinged doors I2 and 43. The door I2 is closed first and latched in closed position by a well-known type of rotary latch I4, and the door [3 is swung to closed position after the door l2 has been closed and latched, and is then locked in said closed position by the usual locking bar l5, cooperating with keepers Iii-46 on the car wall. When the doors are open, they are swung outwardly against the car wall.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a latching mechanism for each door for holding the same in open position, the latch mechanism for the door l3 or the right hand door, as seen in Figure 1, only being shown in the drawings.

Referring first to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the same comprises broadly a supporting bracket A on the car wall, a pivoted latch element B carried by said bracket, and a keeper element C fixed to the door 63 in cooperative relation with the latch element.

The supporting bracket A is in the form of a plate, having an upstanding central tongue 11,,

provided with an outwardly offset, bowed, or

rounded portion 18, forming a bearing member for the pivoted latch element B. The relatively wider bottom section of the bracket A, which section is indicated by [9, is provided with outwardly or forwardly projecting supporting tongues or shelves 2l 20 at the upper end of said section l9 at oppdsite sides of the tongue H The bracket A is secured to the outer side of the car wall ID by rivets 2|; extending through the tongue ll and section l9.

The pivoted latch element B is in the form of a loop or ring formed from bar material, preferably of cylindrical cross section. The ring or looplike latch element 13 has a substantially straight, transverse back section 22 journaled in the rounded bearing member formed by the oilset portion 18 of the bracket A. The latch element B is provided with a finger piece 23. at its right hand side, as seen in Figures 2 and 4, by which it may be manipulated, the same being in the form of a short, cylindrical rod welded to the right hand side of the latch element, and extending above and below the latter. As shown most clearly in Figures 2 and 3, downward movement of the latch element B is limited by engagement with the shelves 20-20 of the supporting bracket B and is supported in horizontal position by these shelves.

The keeper element C is in the form of a hook fixed to the outer side of the door 13. This element is preferably in the form of a casting, having securing ears 24-24 at opposite sides, and an outwardly projecting, central stem or arm 25. The arm 25 extends horizontally and has an upstanding lug 26 in the form of a tooth at its outer end, which forms the hook proper. The lug 26 has a downwardly inclined, outer edge face 21 which forms a cam member for lifting the latch element B when the keeper element is forced against the same as the door I3 is swung open. Inwardly of the lug 26, the keeper element C is provided with a vertically extending web 28, which forms an abutment which is directly engageable with the pivoted element B when the door is swung open to limit opening movement of the door. The keeper element C is fixed to the outer side of the door l3 in alignment with the pivoted latch element 13 by rivets 29-29 ex- 3 tending through the ears 2424 of said keeper element.

As will be evident, when the door [3 is swu open, the keeper element C is forced against the pivoted latch element B, camming the same upwardly until it passes over the lug 26 and drops behind the same, thereby latching the door in open position. To swing thedoor 13 from the fully open position to close the same, the operator grasps the edge of the door and at the same time manipulates the pivoted latch element B to swing the same out of engagement with the keeper element C. This can be accomplished by use of one hand alone, as the pivoted latch element is located closely adjacent the edge of the door, so that the finger piece 23 thereof may be pulled outwardly away from the car wall to swing the latch element upwardly by pressure of afinger thereon at the same time that the edge of the door is grasped.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated .in Figures 5 and 6, a latch element D and a keeper element E are shown, the keeper element E being identical with the keeper element C hereinbefore described, and the latch element D being similar to the latch element B hereinbefore described, with the exception that the finger piece of the latch element D, which finger piece is indicated by I23 and corresponds to the finger piece 23 hereinbefore described, is formed in one piece with the ring portion of the latch element, the finger piece being in the form of upwardly and downwardly bent end sections of the bar .from which the element D is formed, which end sections are welded together,

a indicated at I24, to close the ring portion of the element D.

I claim:

1. In a door latch, the combination with a fixed supporting bracket; of a horizontal shelf on said bracket; a pivoted loop element journaled in said bracket for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, said loop element having its downward swinging movement limited to a horizontal position by engagement with said shelf;

and a finger piece secured to one side of said loop element, said finger piece extending above and below said loop element at right angles to the length of the same.

'2. In a door latch, the combination with a fixed supporting bracket secured to one of said members; of a horizontal shelf on said bracket; a pivoted loop element journaled in said bracket, said loop element being formed of bar material of cylindrical cross section, said loop element being journaled in said bracket for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, and having its downward swinging movement limited to a horizontal position by engagement with said shelf; and a finger piece integral with said loop element, said finger piece extending at right angles to the length of said p element and projecting above and below the same.

ROLAND J. OLANDER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 35,523 Jones June 10, 1862 330,741 Robinson Nov. 17, 1885 759,009 Owens Ma 3, 1904 1,536,110 Lewis May 5, 1925 2,233,625 Marquardt Mar. 4, 1941 

